Michelle Obama said last week in a live recording of the IMO podcast she hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson, that “white men don’t have to worry about imposter syndrome.” She had sat “at every powerful table there is” and not found one who admitted feeling such self-doubt.
I am a big fan of Michelle Obama, I’ve read her autobiography, and think that she oozes more common sense and clarity than any politician, including her husband, the enormously talented orator President Barack Obama. But I wonder if she is being so definitive in order to make the point that it’s much more difficult for both women and people “from diverse backgrounds who felt like outsiders”. She was pretty conclusive when she said that “I’ve never heard a white man talk about impostor syndrome. I haven’t met one.”
Well, hello, my name’s David, and I have suffered from Imposter Syndrome, and I am white.
I coach and mentor first-time CEOs, and can tell you that I have worked with many white, male CEOs and this is a common phenomenon. They may have the advantage of ‘looking the part’, but many wear a suit of armour that they donned themselves in order to secure the position in the first place. Once worn in public, it’s difficult to remove and reveal a more vulnerable personality beneath the carapace. They have pretended they have all the answers and the transition into the role generally gives little opportunity to show that what matters is to have all the best questions.
In my experience, it’s the ones who have no doubts whatsoever that you need to worry about.
I tackle this subject and more in my latest book Become a Successful First-Time CEO (http://bit.ly/3QdkbxF). I have a limited number of free copies to give away to the first people to contact me, and these can be digital, paperback or even the audiobook version.
Business relationships control everything. Find out more at https://greyareacoaching.co.uk and contact me at: [email protected].
Photo credit: Joyce Boghosian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons